Hello everyone, I always wondered how does someone get a copyright for something he create, and specially for us, if we create a game or any other application, can we legally prove that this product is ours without a copyright "certificate" ? if no, then what are the "steps" (if there is any) to protect our products ? ps :am not talking about piracy protection

thanx

"It's not at all important to get it right the first time. It's vitally important to get it right the last time."

It varies from country to country. In America, you are automatically granted copyright of an original work upon its creation. Copyright is only part of the equation though. There are also trademarks (which aren't automatically granted but need to be applied for) which cover things such as logos for your game, company branding, etc. Finally there is patents, which tend to be a thorny issue. These cover things such as actual implementations of say a game mechanic (but not the mechanic itself). If you want an easy way to cover your work, look into Creative Commons licences. Also keep in mind that any libraries you use may carry their own set of restrictions that must be adhered to. You'll have to find someone with knowledge of your national laws to get specific advice.

Arthur: Are all men from the future loud-mouthed braggarts?Ash: Nope. Just me baby...Just me.

Even if you're automatically granted copyright under the law, it's a good idea to officially register with the Copyright Office so you can protect your rights more explicitly. Another thing people will do sometimes is put their copyrighted work into a mail package, mail it to themselves, and keep it stored away somewhere, unopened. The mailing date acts as a bounding point so you can establish that you created something first, if need be.

Even if you're automatically granted copyright under the law, it's a good idea to officially register with the Copyright Office so you can protect your rights more explicitly. Another thing people will do sometimes is put their copyrighted work into a mail package, mail it to themselves, and keep it stored away somewhere, unopened. The mailing date acts as a bounding point so you can establish that you created something first, if need be.

This is more or less an urban legend, which might have had some merit in pre- Berne Convention days, but is just a waste of postage now. The only official registrar of copyrights in the USA is the Copyright Office (part of the Library of Congress) and a postmark isn't as good as a notarized document or even just some timestamps on a server log as long as there's no good reason to believe they've been tampered with.

This is more or less an urban legend, which might have had some merit in pre- Berne Convention days, but is just a waste of postage now. The only official registrar of copyrights in the USA is the Copyright Office (part of the Library of Congress) and a postmark isn't as good as a notarized document or even just some timestamps on a server log as long as there's no good reason to believe they've been tampered with.

Okay, well, the point still stands that you should officially register, not just assume you're protected because you made something.

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